UNC SOTA SUNNYSIDE AVENUE

Description

Project Brief:

In the fall of 2018, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts approached Eric Moser of Moser Design Group to study the development opportunities of the University-owned property on Sunnyside Avenue. The specific properties are a collection of lots contiguous to the University property, yet separated from the main campus by a valley with a small stream and an abandoned railway. Many of the lots have existing residential structures. Most, with the exception of the building at 1903 Sunnyside Avenue, are in various states of disrepair. The valley, affectionately referred to as Kudzu Valley, is currently overgrown and underutilized. The properties also border an active pedestrian access way from the neighborhood on the west to the University across the valley via a steep sidewalk, footbridge, and a rising stair.  

The goal of the project was to study opportunities to add value, beauty, and connectivity to UNCSA and the surrounding neighborhoods. Specific directives included options to renovate suitable existing structures; infill empty lots with market rate housing; and activate the public realms of the street, pedestrian way, and valley.